New Farming Act Bans Lobbying by Big Commodity Boards, Mandates Public Spending Reports Quarterly

If you’ve ever wondered where the money goes after farmers pay into those mandatory commodity “checkoff” programs—the ones that fund the “Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner” ads—this bill is for you. The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act of 2025 is essentially a massive transparency and accountability upgrade for the boards that manage these funds, aiming to stop alleged misuse and conflicts of interest. It’s all about making sure the money collected from producers actually benefits all producers, not just a select few with political connections.

The Lobbying Ban: Shutting Off the Political Spigot

One of the biggest changes targets political influence. If a checkoff program pulls in more than $20 million annually in assessments—think the big players like beef, dairy, or soybeans—it is now generally prohibited from hiring anyone to lobby or try to influence government policy related to agriculture (SEC. 4). This means that farmer-paid funds can no longer be used to push for specific regulations or legislative outcomes that might benefit one segment of the industry while hurting others. For the average farmer, this provision aims to level the playing field, ensuring their mandatory contributions aren't being used against their own interests in Washington. There is one key exception: contracts with universities for research, extension, or education are still allowed, even if the university itself engages in broader lobbying.

No More Conflicts of Interest and Fair Play Rules

Beyond the lobbying ban, the bill cracks down on internal corruption and unfair competition. The boards, their employees, and agents must now avoid any conflict of interest—defined as having a direct or indirect financial stake in any company that contracts with the board (SEC. 3). This is a big deal for preventing self-dealing, where board members might steer lucrative research or promotion contracts to their own firms or partners. Furthermore, the bill explicitly bans checkoff programs from engaging in anticompetitive behavior or, crucially, disparaging another type of agricultural product (SEC. 4). This means the dairy board can’t run an ad campaign trashing almond milk, and the beef board can’t badmouth pork, ensuring a fairer competitive environment among different commodities.

Radical Transparency: Show Me the Receipts

Perhaps the most impactful change for transparency is the new record-keeping requirement. Every contract signed by a checkoff program must now require the contractor to submit quarterly reports detailing exactly how the money was spent, including all goods and services provided. The board then has to make these records public within 30 days of receiving them (SEC. 4). This goes beyond just publishing a budget; it means the public will see the specific line-item expenditures, who received the funds, and what activities were funded. For instance, if a checkoff board pays a marketing firm $500,000, that firm must now detail how much went to graphic design, how much to media buys, and who the subcontractors were. This level of detail should make it much harder for questionable spending to hide.

Mandatory Audits to Keep Everyone Honest

To ensure these new rules aren’t just words on paper, the bill mandates serious oversight. The USDA Inspector General (IG) must audit every checkoff program within two years of the law’s enactment, and then at least every five years thereafter (SEC. 4). These audits must specifically check for compliance with the new lobbying and conflict-of-interest rules. On top of that, the Comptroller General of the U.S. gets to conduct their own review three to five years out, checking the overall effectiveness of the compliance efforts. For those currently managing these funds, this means a significant increase in compliance burden and the end of operating in the shadows. For everyone else, it means independent federal watchdogs will finally be checking the books regularly.